My Way - Fairly Good, Based on 1 Critics

AllMusic - 70Based on rating 7/10

70

Ever since 1978's Stardust, standards albums have been part of Willie Nelson's arsenal, but 2018's My Way presents a twist on this shopworn tradition: it's designed as a tribute to Frank Sinatra. Album-long tributes to Sinatra aren't uncommon -- Bob Dylan devoted much of the 2010s to recording a series of tributes to him -- but My Way stands apart from the pack by capturing both the rakish charm of the Chairman of the Board and Nelson's sly elegance. Nelson balances standards from the Great American Songbook ("A Foggy Day," "Blue Moon," "Night and Day," "Young at Heart") with songs written with Sinatra in mind ("Fly Me to the Moon," "Summer Wind," "It Was a Very Good Year," "My Way"), which brings My Way closer to the essence of Frank Sinatra than Dylan's stylized saloon records.